Flushing apparatus for a selfcontained closet



Sept. 26, 1961 w, HICKS 3,001,205

FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR A SELF-CONTAINED CLOSET Filed Nov. 26, 1958 UtedThe object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus forflushing a closet of the type in which the flushing liquid is containedin a closed circuit connected with the closet pan, whereby certaindisadvantages hitherto present in closests of such type will be avoidedand which will afiord valuable advantages as hereinafter described.

Apparatus according to the invention comprises an air pump having meansfor its operation at the times desired and arranged to transmit pressureto a reservoir of flushing liquid and thereby impel such liquid into aflushing gallery located at the top of the pan, said reservoir beingautomatically replenished after each operation of the pump through aone-way valve connected with the pan or with a sump communicating withthe latter.

There follows a more detailed description of an embodiment of theinvention, as applied to a chemical closet suitable for use in aircraftand other vehicles, reference being made to the accompanyingdiagrammatic drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a partly sectional sideelevation of the closet, together with the flushing system, and FIG. 2is a section on the line H-H of FIG. 1.

In the drawings it will be seen that the closet pan, indicated by thereference numeral 10, is arranged to communicate by way of a non-returnvalve 11 (FIG. 2) with a substantial length of pipe 12 which is coiledabout the base of the closet, and which constitutes the flushing liquidreservoir. Said pipe 12 is connected by an upright column 13 at one endto an annular duct or gallery 14 encircling the upper wall of the pan10. The other end of the reservoir pipe 12 is coupled at 121 to thecylinder 15 of a single-acting reciprocating pump 15, 16, of which thepiston 16 is pivotally connected through its piston rod 17 with anoperating lever 18. Such lever 18 may be a manually-operated arm, or apedal, pivotally mounted alongside the closet but, as in the presentinstance, said lever is more conveniently constituted by an extension ofthe lid 19 of the closet so as to be actuated when the lid is loweredfrom the open position.

The connection 121 between the aforesaid pipe 12 and the pump outputport 151 is furnished with a non-return valve 20 to admit air into saidconnection automatically upon the return stroke of the pump, toreplenish the air forced through the flushing system on the operatingstroke. This valve 20 will operate when pressure in the pump connectionis below atmospheric pressure, and will prevent admission of flushingliquid into the pump 15, 16.

The non-return valve 11 by which the reservoir pipe 12 is replenishedfrom the pan after each flushing operation may, as shown in FIG. 2, be asimple ball valve 111 which, when pressure is applied by the pump, 15,16, to the liquid in the pipe 12, is forced on to its seating 112 toclose the valve, but which will open to enable liquid to pass from thepan 10 into the reservoir pipe 12 as soon as the pump pressure has beenrelaxed. This valve 11 is entirely automatic in its action, in that itwill enable the Patent 0 3,001,205 Patented Sept. 26, 1961 reservoirpipe 12 to be filled with liquid from the pan 10 independently of theposition of the operating lever 18. Being of simple construction, andpreferably being furnished with filter 113, it will be free of anytendency to become choked by solid matter. The valve member 111 isconveniently made of a sufliciently resilient material to enable it toclose upon its seating 112 even when a small object, such as amatchstick, is trapped in the above aperture.

It will be understood that the pipe 12 and valve 11 may be incommunication with a sump into which the flushing liquid flows bygravity from the pan 10, instead of being directly connected to the pan10 as shown.

It will be seen that the pump 15, 16, is dry, being used only to supplyair pressure to the column of liquid in the reservoir pipe 12 thus, theclogging or corrosion of the parts of the pump are prevented. Thelocation of the flushing mechanism entirely outside the closet panfacilitates cleaning of the latter.

Whilst this arrangement provides for a considerable volume and velocityof the flushing liquid through the annular gallery 14, the operatingload may be light. Furthermore, the system is capable of operatingsatisfactorily when the liquid level in the pan 10 is low.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a flushing device, including a closet pan having a waste deflectingupper rim portion and a lower reservoir portion, a flushing galleryextending around the top of the waste deflecting upper rim portion andincluding a downwardly extending annular portion to direct liquid oversaid waste deflecting portion, duct means communicating with saidgallery and said waste deflecting upper rim portion and extendingoutwardly of the pan and downwardly past the bottom of said pan, aone-way valve positioned in the bottom wall of said pan andcommunicating with the lower reservoir portion and operable forpermitting flow only from said pan, pipe reservoir means extending fromand communicating with the lower end of said duct means and travellingan extended path for providing a separate reservoir below said pan andcommunicating with said one-way valve means, said pipe reservoirincluding a portion extending therefrom and laterally with respect tosaid pan and upwardly with respect to said pan to extend adjacent thetop portion thereof, an air pump supported adjacent the top of said panand including a reciprocating piston and an air outlet port on one sidethereof, the upwardly extending portion of said pipe reservoircommunicating with the air outlet port of said air pump, an air intakeport in the upper end of said upwardly extending portion of said pipereservoir means and including one-way valve means for permitting inflowof air, and a lid member for said pan pivotally mounted at one end andconnected at said one end to said reciprocating piston of said air pumpon the other side thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS975,308 Wilson Nov. 8, 1910 1,198,057 Ribaysen Sept. 12, 1916 2,616,095Stuckey Nov. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,758 Great Britain June 6, 1843141,741 Australia June 22, 1951 324,437 Great Britain Jan. 30, 1930

